Northern France _ Le Touquet-Paris-Plage_ © CRTC Hauts-de-France - Benoît Guilleux

5 things to do in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage

The seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is famous for its natural sites and for its combination of dynamism and timeless charm has always had strong ties with Britain. Part of its fame is down to an Englishman, Sir John Whitby, who helped develop the resort in the 1880s.

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is the perfect place to relax and recharge your batteries while enjoying a lively resort with a wide range of activities. To make the most of your stay in Le Touquet, read our five must-dos for the ‘Pearl of the Opal Coast’.

©Northern France, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Pub |Hauts-de-France Tourisme - Anne-Sophie Flament

01. Get a breath of fresh air on the beaches

With almost seven miles of coastline, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage offers an opaline sea as far as the eye can see and forms the ideal playground for an array of outdoor activities. Thanks to its breezy weather, one of the resort’s main activities is sand-yachting, with several competitions held here every year. The resort’s two nautical centres, La Baie de Canche andLa Manche Bertrand Lambert, both also offer other nautical activities such as surfing, sea-wading, waterskiing, windsurfing and wakeboarding.

Try sand yachting at Le Touquet

02. Enjoy an active paradise

A stroll to the Canche estuary may well reward you with the chance to spot seals, and there are also many cycle tracks along the coast and past the dunes, or in the calm of Le Touquet Paris-Plage’s pine forest. You can easily rent bikes in La Baleine Royale or one of the many other hire outlets in the resort. Why not go for a run along the beach and feel the soft touch of fine sand under your feet ? You’ll probably meet sand yachters taking over the beaches as soon as the wind rises. Then there’s the chance to end your day in style with a horse-ride on the beach while soaking up the last rays of sunshine. Tennis, soccer, hockey, athletics… There’s always something to do at this ‘Sports Heaven’!

Learn more about the Sport Heaven

03. Challenge yourself at Le Touquet Golf Resort

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Offering an unforgettable golfing experience in a fantastic setting, this globally renowned course ranked among the top 100 best resorts in the world and the top 20 in Europe last year. Located between dunes and forest, it has three circuits: Le Manoir (9 holes; easy), La Forêt (18 holes; intermediate) and La Mer (18 holes; advanced). Named the best links course in France, the legendary La Mer was designed by British golf architects Harry Colt and Charles Hugh Alison in the 1930s. Recently redesigned, it offers breathtaking views from the heart of the dunes.

After a day full of birdies and swings, the three-star Le Manoire Hôtel and its gourmet restaurant provide the perfect place to recuperate and refuel.

Discover the Le Touquet Golf Resort

04. Make the most of local produce

All that activity will leave you hungry – and happily Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is packed with great places to eat, including the many brasseries of Rue Saint-Jean – all convivial places to watch World Cup games. The resort’s 70-plus restaurants – some, including Le Pavillon, listed by the Michellin Guide – include something everyone will find to their taste. Don’t miss the iconic fish soup at Chez Perard.

And if you’re self-catering here, gather the fresh ingredients you need at the central indoor market, a listed monument where locals sell spanking-fresh seafood, lush fruits, tasty cheeses and more every Thursday and Saturday morning.

Taste the fish soup at Chez Pérard

Northern France _ Le Touquet Paris Plage _ the Market © CRTC Hauts-de-France _ Ishak Najib

Northern France _ Le Touquet _ Fish store Chez Pérard © CRT Hauts-de-France _ Anne-Sophie Flament

Northern France _ Le Touquet Paris Plage _ La Cave Touquettoise _ Brewerie © CRTC Hauts-de-France _ Anne-Sophie Flament

Northern France_ seafood platter © CRTC HDF Anne Sophie Flament

Northern France _ Le-Touquet-Paris-Plage _ Au Chat Bleu _ Couple biking © CRT Hauts-de-France _ Anne-Sophie Flament

05. Dive into the historic glamour of the Casino Barrière

The ‘casino de la forêt’ (‘forest cathedral’) was created in 1907. Having started life as a castle in the late 1800s, and with an interlude as a military hospital for British soldiers during World War I, it became France’s most successful casino in 1927. As gambling was forbidden in England during the inter-war period, British people came in huge numbers to play in Europe’s most fashionable resort, and it’s particularly famous for having inspired Ian Fleming while he was writing Casino Royale.